Judgement Day

Yesterday was kindergarten assessment day. The boys have been registered for kindergarten since February, but apparently they put the assessments off until later...seems inefficient, but I'm pretty sure "inefficiency" is one of the public school system's values.

I thought we'd sit down, I'd meet the teacher, she'd ask me some questions about each kid and then she'd quiz them on their letters and numbers. It wasn't quite so chummy. The teacher asked Aidan to come with her without even introducing herself, then brought him into a room with a poster saying "Respect is not a gift. It has to be earned." Really? How might my 4-year-old earn your respect? I know I'm very cynical when it comes to the school system, but it seemed a little inappropriate for a kindergarten setting.

So anyway, Owen and I sat in the hall for 15 minutes until it was time to switch kids. 20 more minutes passed and the teacher emerged to say, "Sorry it took so long, we went through all of the first grade words as well." I'm glad the kids proved their super-geniusness all on their own, but had she bothered to have a 2-minute conversation with me in advance, I could have told her that they both already read beyond a first-grade level. Her only other comment was that Aidan might have trouble sitting still in class...well, at least he's got something to work on.

Let's just say I do not hold high hopes for next year in terms of intellectual development. The good thing is that the kids don't know they should be bored by spending an entire week on one letter of the alphabet. I am looking forward to seeing how Owen does in the classroom with only the support of a para. Ironically, the only pull-out service he'll get next year is social skills. The goal, of course, is that he will no longer need special support when he gets to first grade, but my own quest is to figure out whether he can successfully learn in a system designed for neurotypical kids...really, that's my quest for both of them.